In recent years, computer-assisted surgery has become a popular way to overcome limitations of existing surgical procedures, and possibly enhance the capabilities of doctors performing the surgery. For example, without computerized equipment, doctors may be limited to where they can operate/examine due to the size of their hands and limited dexterity with tools. This inhibits the ability of doctors to operate on small or deep internal tissues.
In open surgery, computer-guided instruments can replace traditional (hand-held) tools to perform operations like rib spreading due to the computer-guided instruments' smoother feedback assisted motions. Robotic systems like these have been shown to reduce or eliminate tissue trauma commonly associated with invasive surgery. Moreover, these instruments may prevent doctors from making accidental mistakes while operating.
However, not all advancements in surgery are necessarily mechanical; diagnostic methods can be used to inform surgeons as they work. For example, specific tissue types may be flagged with fluorescent dyes or the like. However, often these dyes are nonspecific (illuminating a variety of tissues) and may be somewhat toxic to the body. Accordingly, room for advancement exists in the field of computer-guided surgery.